HISTORY 1234 Federalist Papers Guided Questions.
Making Sense of The Federalist Papers
Directions: The Federalist Papers were written by James Madison,
... [Show More] Alexander
Hamilton, and John Jay to highlight the beneficial elements of the new
Constitution and win support for ratification. Three of the most famous
Federalist Papers were #10, 51 and 78. Read the excerpts below and try to
analyze and summarize the key points you think the authors were making.
Federalist #10
“AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a well-constructed Union, none deserves to
be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of
faction… By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority
or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of
passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and
aggregate interests of the community.”
1. What advantage does Madison state the new government system will bring?
The new government will be able to control the violence of factions
2. Read Madison’s definition of a faction and summarize in your own, modern-day words how
you would define a faction. Can you think of any examples of factions today?
A faction is a group of people who have common goals/ideas. These goals/ideas can be harmful
to the nation.
Ex. KKK, Proud Boys
3. Does Madison seem to have a positive or negative view of factions? What words does he use
that helped you make your assessment?
Madison has a negative view of factions. He used “violence”, “aggregate interests”, and
“adverse to the rights of other citizens”.
Madison goes on to say that there are two methods of curing the “mischiefs” or damages of
factions- either by removing its causes or by controlling its effects. He first describes how you
would remove the causes of factions- read below to see how that is possible.
“There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the
liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same
opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.”
4. After reading the quote on the bottom of page 1, what are the two methods of removing the
causes of faction? Why do you think removing either of these two causes is not a good idea,
or not even possible? Explain.
His first reason is by taking away the freedom that is vital to a faction existing. His second
reason is to give everyone the same opinions/beliefs. These methods are not a good idea
because the first one would infringe upon the natural rights of citizens, and for the second one
it would be impossible to have everyone believe in all of the same ideas.
“The inference to which we are brought is, that the CAUSES of faction cannot be removed,
and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its EFFECTS.”
5. What conclusion does Madison come to about removing the causes of faction?
Madison states that the causes of factions cannot be removed. The only solution is to control
the effects of factions.
Madison therefore turns to controlling the EFFECTS of factions, which is where he argues the
positive features of the new Constitution.
“From this view of the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a
society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the
government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction.”
6. According to Madison, what type of government system CANNOT provide a cure for the
“mischiefs” of faction?
Madison believes that the system of pure democracy cannot provide a solution to the problems
caused by factions
“A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes
place, opens a different prospect, and promises the cure for which we are seeking. Let us
examine the points in which it varies from pure democracy, and we shall comprehend both
the nature of the cure and the efficacy which it must derive from the Union.”
© Holly's Social Studies Store 10/17 2
7. What type of government system promises the cure for faction? How does this government
system differ from the one mentioned in #6?
Madison states that a republic provides a solution to factions. A republic differs from a pure
democracy because it utilizes a system of representation.
Read the quotes from Federalist #10 below, which discuss the reasons WHY Madison thinks the
government system written into The Constitution (a large Republic) is better suited to handle
the effects of factions.
“…As each representative wil [Show Less]